'Unmelting Snow' Covering Jeju Oreum... "What on Earth Is This?"

Large Amount of White Substance Sprayed on Oreum in Yeondong, Jeju City
Immediate Investigation Launched... "Will Thoroughly Assess Harmfulness"

At Jeju Oreum, a popular tourist destination, artificial 'fake snow' used for film shooting has been left scattered, causing discomfort among visitors.

White substance covering the area near the summit of Sangyeo Oreum in Yeondong, Jeju City.
[Photo by Jeju City]

On the 8th, Jeju City announced that on the 4th, a large amount of white substance resembling snow was found scattered over 661 to 1000㎡ at the summit of Sangyeo Oreum in Yeondong, Jeju City, following a complaint submitted through the Jeju Provincial Government website's 'Wishes for Jeju'.

Although most of the artificial snow was blown away by the wind, the summit of Sangyeo Oreum was covered in white for two days, on the 4th and 5th, creating the impression that it had snowed and raising questions among residents. The author of the post, Mr. A, said, "Spray-type Styrofoam is covering the hill on the south side of the observation post at the summit of Sangyeo Oreum," and added, "I want to know whether this is litter or if there is another reason." The photos attached by Mr. A show the artificial snow maintaining its original form without melting, even when lifted with gloved hands.

In response, Jeju City immediately launched an investigation and found that the artificial snow was a prop scattered by an outsourced film production team to create a snowy scene. It is known that the production team obtained consent from the landowner to shoot at the privately owned summit of Sangyeo Oreum.

However, Jeju City announced plans to request a composition analysis from the Jeju Institute of Health and Environment to determine whether the substance is harmful, following concerns that it does not melt quickly.

A Jeju City official said, "At present, it appears to be a paper-based material," and added, "We will conduct a re-inspection on site and thoroughly investigate any potential hazards."

A drama filming vehicle illegally parked in a disabled parking space at a hospital.
[Photo by Online Community]

Meanwhile, controversies related to 'nuisance filming' are not new. Previously, at Incheon Airport, controversy arose when staff from the Netflix original series Squid Game Season 2 filming team blocked people trying to use the escalator. Additionally, the production company of the JTBC drama Not a Hero, But sparked public outrage by preventing a husband from entering a hospital to visit his wife admitted to a high-risk maternity ward during filming.

In response, on November 22 last year, Rep. Lee Yong of the People Power Party introduced the 'Filming Nuisance and Power Abuse Prevention Act,' which imposes obligations on producers and others involved in video production to prevent harm to pedestrians and public facility users. The amendment requires broadcasters, outsourced production companies, and film/video producers to secure pedestrian pathways and take safety measures to prevent risks and harm to pedestrians when producing video content. It also stipulates obligations related to preventing harm to users of public facilities.

Rep. Lee emphasized, "While domestic broadcasting, film, and OTT content production is becoming more active, cases causing inconvenience to citizens at production sites are increasing," and added, "Through this amendment, I hope to establish a foundation for safe filming environments as well as realize the public responsibility and public interest of broadcasting production."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.